You Are Far Too Mediocre!

"Blood!" Within his mind, the hazy character churned violently, as if attempting to break free of his control. Su Yu exerted all his strength, focusing with everything he had to hold, control, and suppress it. The character "Blood" darted and surged through his head. Su Yu could not tell whether it was actually inside his physical brain or some deeper realm of consciousness, but he had no time to ponder that now. *Control it!* *This character belongs to me from now on!* His mind bore down upon the character. Su Yu could not tell if it was will or mental focus, but he felt profoundly exhausted—the exact sensation of fleeing for his life in his nightmares, visceral and intensely real. The character rebelled and struggled, and Su Yu poured every ounce of his resolve into suppressing it. After an unknown amount of time, the character seemed to give in. In his mind, it ceased its thrashing. *Yield or not?* Su Yu demanded in his consciousness. It felt as though he had just pummeled the character with fists and kicks until it was thoroughly beaten into submission. He had asked almost purely on reflex. Yet the very next moment, the character seemed indignant. All at once, it began to thrash violently again. "I'll beat you to death!" *Boom! Boom!* At this moment, Su Yu felt as though he were fighting inside a dream. In the past, he had never been able to defeat those beasts and had always been killed, but this time, he sensed he had a real chance of winning. Wasn't this just a contest to see who could beat the other into submission?! In all these years, this was the first time he had encountered something weaker than himself. In his nightmares, he had always been at the very bottom of the food chain. This time, this "Blood" character was the weakest! "I'll beat you to death!" After another stretch of time, the character went still again. *Yield or not?* *Boom!* The battle flared right back up! Once again, he battered it into immobility. *Yield or not?* *Boom!* ... This repeated countless times until Su Yu asked once more, and the character remained motionless, having apparently exhausted every drop of its energy. It yielded! *** Inside the room, Bai Feng had been waiting the entire time. The longer he waited, the more astonishment grew within him. *Still not awake?* This kid was merely laying the foundation of a divine character. Logically, he should have awakened long ago. Why was he still out? Bai Feng waited patiently. After a long while, Su Yu finally woke up. Opening his eyes and seeing Bai Feng before him, Su Yu hurriedly said, "Teacher Bai, I fell asleep just now..." "You weren't asleep." Bai Feng did not dwell on it, asking directly, "How much did you retain?" "Huh?" Su Yu was bewildered. "Capturing a divine character for the first time, you have no experience, and your willpower isn't strong enough. You definitely couldn't keep the whole thing. How much of that 'Blood' character did you manage to hold onto?" "How much did I retain?" Su Yu remained utterly confused. What did that mean? "As in, how many strokes are still clear!" Bai Feng was exasperated. Was that so hard to understand? "The character 'Blood' has six strokes. How many do you have left right now? Retaining even a single stroke is already quite good. As long as some remnant remains, you've officially laid the foundation." Now Su Yu understood. *How many strokes remained?* *Did a character have to be divided stroke by stroke?* *Wasn't the whole thing supposed to stay?* He hesitated. *Did I hallucinate, or... did I actually fail to keep it?* Because in his mind, that character felt completely whole. Seeing him stay silent, Bai Feng continued, "Don't be discouraged. Retaining a single stroke, or even half a stroke, is already commendable. For a beginner like you, outlining a divine character is extraordinarily difficult and demands a great deal of time. "Even though it was only a divine character written by me, with your level of willpower, fully outlining it would take at least three months, maybe even half a year. But as long as the foundation is there, you can take your time outlining it in the future..." Bai Feng wore a smile. He was in good spirits today and didn't mind speaking a few extra words with Su Yu. "Once a divine character is fully outlined, even if your will hasn't manifested, you can begin to sense some of its wondrous uses. "What you're outlining is the character 'Blood.' Others have outlined this character before, but its applications vary. "Some can use it in battle to absorb an enemy's blood. Others use it to condense the blood essence of the myriad races—which is today's blood essence, actually refined by Civilization Masters most of the time. "Of course, the world is vast and full of wonders. A character's function might turn out to be entirely different from its literal meaning. That's entirely possible. When the day comes that you've fully outlined it, you can commune with it, and that's when you'll discover what it can do." Su Yu listened intently, focusing inwardly to sense the character in his mind. What kind of ability did his little "Blood" lackey have? One could only sense it once it was fully outlined. Did his count as fully outlined? The character "Blood" in his mind quivered, and the next moment, Su Yu caught a faint, blurry sensation. Bai Feng was still talking when his vision suddenly rippled slightly. A vague impression surfaced—an Ironwing Bird swooping down to strike! "Moonlight!" A savage roar echoed in his ears. Bai Feng froze. He was powerful; a minor illusion like this could be dispersed with a mere breath. Yet he did not. He allowed the brief scene to continue, letting the Ironwing Bird plunge toward him. He was utterly stunned! Truly, completely dumbfounded. The next instant, he broke through the air and vanished. The room door shattered, but he didn't care in the slightest. In a flash, he appeared right before Liu Wenyan. Liu Wenyan stared at him blankly. "What are you doing?" "Martial Uncle, are you joking with me?" Liu Wenyan blinked, then glared with bristling beard and widened eyes. "You barged in here out of nowhere and scared the life out of me! Who's joking with you?!" "Are you looking for a beating?" Bai Feng stared at him, examining him with absolute seriousness. It wasn't him. That mental interference just now hadn't come from Liu Wenyan's will! He had only thought it was impossible, which was why he had come to ask and probe whether Liu Wenyan was playing a trick on him. It had been far too weak! It hadn't harmed a single hair on his head or disrupted him in the least. A single glance was enough to tell it was an illusion, and a faint one at that. Yet if it wasn't Liu Wenyan, could it be Su Yu? What kind of joke was that?! He refused to believe it! Su Yu laying the foundation of a divine character—that he could believe. He had witnessed it with his own eyes, so he begrudgingly accepted that the kid was a genius. But now Su Yu was telling him that not only had he laid the foundation, he had also completely outlined the divine character?! He didn't believe it! He couldn't bring himself to believe it! If the kid were at the Character Cultivation stage, he would have believed it. Geniuses always possessed a few odd quirks, after all. But with only ten percent willpower accumulation, you're telling me he succeeded in outlining it? Are you trying to say the willpower text I, Bai Feng, wrote was utter trash? That you could capture it so easily and outline the entire thing? "Hey!" Liu Wenyan barked with a darkened face. "Bai Feng, did you come here to provoke me?" Snapping back to his senses, Bai Feng was about to speak when his expression shifted slightly. He chuckled and said, "Martial Uncle, just a joke, just a joke. Didn't I give Su Yu some guidance today? I feel that although his talent is ordinary and he'd likely just be an average student at the Civilization Academy, he's still a student taught by you, Martial Uncle..." Bai Feng appeared to hesitate, pondering for a moment before continuing, "I can't disregard your face, Martial Uncle. I thought it over—if he goes to the Civilization Academy, probably no one will take him on as a direct student; he'd just be an ordinary student. Although I'm only an assistant researcher, I'm permitted to take on students now. How about I let him work under me as an assistant?" "You?" Liu Wenyan looked surprised, abandoning his irritation over being provoked. "You want to take on a student?" "Having him assist me is still better than him being an ordinary student at the academy, right?" Liu Wenyan turned solemn. "Are you serious?" "Yeah. I see that his talent is average, but he has tenacity. He held out for quite a while watching me write the willpower text just now. Perhaps he might have a bit of a future." Liu Wenyan chuckled. "Of course! That boy—if you talk about raw talent, he might not be extraordinary. But he truly has grit. At such a young age, he knows how to keep his temper steady. He can spend days without sleep delving into a single myriad-race language. He can endure hardship, and he has the capability... "Over the years, the academy hasn't lacked geniuses more gifted than him, but that doesn't mean I regarded them more highly. "I genuinely believe this kid has the foundation of a true powerhouse, if given the opportunity." Liu Wenyan sighed, fearing only that the opportunity would never come. Yet recalling what Bai Feng had just proposed, Liu Wenyan smiled. "Do you truly want to take him as your student? As an assistant researcher, before becoming a full researcher, you can take on two at most, right?" "Yeah, but I haven't taken any yet." Bai Feng chuckled. "It's not that there haven't been geniuses at the academy wanting to join my tutelage. To tell the truth, geniuses... I've seen plenty! How many of them are more talented than me? Some of those kids are clever enough—thinking I have great potential, egged on by their parents, they squeeze their way toward me relentlessly. "Then there's my teacher's status as a senior researcher. There aren't many of those in the academy, so they harbor thoughts of ingratiating themselves with him as well. "None of them caught my eye. But Su Yu—I feel he suits my temperament. He's quite decent; being grounded is enough." Bai Feng smiled warmly. "He may not be top-tier, but he isn't the worst either. And he's your student, Martial Uncle. Running into him on my trip to Nanyuan is a stroke of fate. What do you think?" Liu Wenyan gave him a searching look and said gravely, "Even though his talent isn't top-notch, I still hope he can go far. If you're only going to brush him off, then forget it. Although I know this is a great opportunity, I would rather he bide his time. "After settling in at the academy for a few years, I believe someone will recognize his value given his character and hard work! "If you're willing to teach him earnestly, I have no objections to him becoming your student. It would be his fortune; I wouldn't stop him, only congratulate him." Liu Wenyan spoke with absolute seriousness. Su Yu was a genius in Nanyuan, but in the Great Xia Prefecture, he truly was nothing special. Yet he believed Su Yu possessed the foundation of an expert. As long as he spent a few years tempering himself at the academy, he had the potential to soar to great heights! He did not want Bai Feng to ruin Su Yu's potential. Even though becoming Bai Feng's apprentice right now was an immense opportunity, he was prepared to intervene if Bai Feng was not serious. "Rest assured, Martial Uncle!" Bai Feng smiled. "If I don't take a student, that's one thing. If I do, I will certainly teach him well. If he makes a name for himself, it benefits me as his teacher too—perhaps I might even gain full researcher status ahead of schedule. "According to academy regulations, I must either break through to the Lingyun Realm or produce a few students with notable achievements to become a full researcher. I've always been too lazy to take on students; before this, my plan was simply to reach the Lingyun Realm on my own as fast as possible. But if he truly has that potential, maybe I can advance early." Liu Wenyan beamed. "If you teach him well, the opportunity will surely come. I have high hopes for him!" "Then you agree, Martial Uncle?" "Well... I have no objection, but you should ask him yourself." Bai Feng chuckled. "You're closer to him, Martial Uncle. Put in a few good words so he doesn't feel shortchanged becoming my student. An assistant researcher like me might not even impress him. There are plenty of ignorant students out there, especially small-town geniuses who think they're peerless under the heavens." "He won't think that." Liu Wenyan laughed. "I will explain it clearly to him." "Then I'll trouble you, Martial Uncle." Bai Feng nodded, quickly vanishing from Liu Wenyan's presence. Once he was gone, Liu Wenyan broke into a grin, his beard quivering with delight. *This kid... not bad at all!* Su Yu had actually caught Bai Feng's eye! Who was Bai Feng? An assistant researcher, a sixth-stage Tengkong Realm genius whose teacher was a senior researcher and a pinnacle Shanhai Realm powerhouse! Bai Feng himself had a strong chance of breaking through to the seventh stage of the Tengkong Realm very soon. Reaching the Lingyun Realm would take perhaps five years, or eight—in any case, within ten years at most. A Lingyun expert before the age of forty! In his fifties or sixties, he would have hope of challenging the Shanhai Realm, and before a hundred, perhaps even beyond Shanhai! Could such a figure be considered mediocre? Of course not! Xia Longwu, the Prefect of the Great Xia Prefecture, whose genius was renowned across the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms, had only been at the peak of the Shanhai Realm when he took command of the Demon Suppression Army twenty years ago. At that time, Xia Longwu was in his early forties, a genius recognized across all worlds. Bai Feng might fall slightly short of Xia Longwu, but how many Xia Longwus existed across the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms? "Su Yu, your chance has arrived!" Liu Wenyan thought warmly, his mood soaring. *** Bai Feng was in an even better mood! His martial uncle was far too easy to fool. Of course, at this stage, no matter who he told about taking Su Yu as a student, everyone would assume Su Yu had struck gold. He, Bai Feng, had passed over geniuses at the academy to take a mediocre student from an intermediate academy under his wing—what an honor for Su Yu! Bai Feng returned to the room, not sparing a glance at the shattered door. Su Yu was still waiting, looking bewildered and slightly uneasy. What had happened to Bai Feng just now? He had darted off out of nowhere. Could an enemy have been watching from the shadows? *Ahem!* Bai Feng gave a light cough as he stepped through the air, landed, and looked at Su Yu with a smile. "There was a minor matter just now, but I've handled it. By the way, judging by your expression, did you actually finish outlining that divine character?" "Well... it seems so," Su Yu said in a low voice. "I'm not completely certain, but there really is a complete character for 'Blood' in my mind." "Mm, not bad. I felt it just now. It seems capable of generating faint illusions—a manifestation of will interfering with reality." Looking at Su Yu, he added, "Your willpower isn't strong yet, so the effect is quite faint. Once your will manifests and you use it to interfere with reality, that Ironwing Bird you just conjured might be able to strike down a Tengkong Realm cultivator directly. Quite impressive!" Bai Feng gave an easy smile. "Earlier, I told you I was formidable back in the Character Cultivation stage. Do you know why? I wasn't lying to you; I truly was formidable because I had fully outlined a powerful divine character back then. In that stage, I beat quite a few students from the War Academy until they were crying for their parents. "You've outlined a divine character now. Weak though it may be, it represents an opportunity! "Of course, it truly is very weak." Bai Feng's tone turned solemn. "It was merely a willpower text I wrote on the spot. The carrier medium was weak, outlined entirely by my willpower rather than refined from the powerful blood essence of the myriad races. In comparison, this divine character... is far too weak! "It can't truly be considered a Tengkong Realm divine character; at most, it's an incomplete character. "So even though you succeeded in outlining it, its utility isn't very great. Compared to true geniuses... you are far behind!" Bai Feng let out a sigh. "Some geniuses at the academy have already entered the Character Cultivation stage—and I mean the freshmen. They've outlined complete divine characters, some of them even from the God or Demon Races. "During the Character Cultivation stage, some have even studied the original works of Wanshi Realm peak experts from the God and Demon Races. In other words, the full might of the divine characters they outline could potentially slay a ninth-stage Wanshi cultivator! "The Character Cultivation stage doesn't mean a lack of combat power—though naturally, that is the exclusive domain of geniuses! "Mediocrities, even at the Character Cultivation stage, can't outline a complete divine character. Those mediocrities aren't even worth mentioning! "The world is vast, and geniuses are many, but how many can actually reach the pinnacle? "Every year, the ones beaten up at the academy are those mediocrities. True geniuses only push forward, sweeping aside all opposition..." Bai Feng spoke at length, mostly describing how powerful and breathtaking those geniuses were. "In the Great Zhou Prefecture, at the Great Zhou Civilization Academy, there was a genius who enrolled last year. Within six months of entering the academy, his will manifested, he mastered nine complete divine characters, forged his body with God Race blood, and advanced three stages in the Tengkong Realm in a single day! "He entered the All-Heavens Battlefield and slew a fifth-stage Tengkong expert. The Great Zhou Civilization Academy is already discussing whether to confer the title of assistant researcher upon him ahead of time. "That is what a genius looks like!" Bai Feng spoke calmly. He wasn't lying. Naturally, he omitted a few details—such as the fact that the guy's grandfather was a senior researcher, his grandmother was also a senior researcher, his father was a Lingyun Realm powerhouse at a war academy, and his mother was a brilliant researcher at a scientific research academy. None of that mattered! Bai Feng told himself inwardly: *Did that matter?* *Not in the slightest!* *If you, Su Yu, had the ability to get several senior researchers as parents and grandparents, I'd consider you impressive too!* Su Yu was utterly stunned. "How... old is he?" "Nineteen. One year older than you." Su Yu was completely dazed. Was the sky outside Nanyuan truly that high? "Of course, cases like that are rare. Don't despair." Fearing he had crushed the boy's spirits entirely, Bai Feng smiled. "He is a genius, and you are not. But as long as you work hard, you have hope of reaching that level too. Don't rush ahead blindly. We Civilization Masters remain quiet until the right moment, then astonish the world with a single leap!" "Teacher Bai, then I..." "Right, don't mention outlining a divine character to anyone outside. You're in Nanyuan, where people make a fuss over every little thing and treat it as headline news. If the All-Races Sect catches wind of it, you'll be in deep trouble!" Bai Feng spoke solemnly, "Until you possess the martial strength to back it up, keep a low profile. You're fairly decent; at least in Nanyuan, you rank among the geniuses. That Liu Yue can't compare to you. "In a little over two months, the Civilization Academy examinations will take place. Gaining admission won't be an issue for you. There will be a one-month break in between, and enrollment begins in August. At that time, the academy will conduct a survey to see whether you want a standard assignment or wish to choose a researcher as your instructor and undergo their assessment... You can choose me. "You are Martial Uncle's student, and our meeting is a twist of fate. When the time comes, I'll go easy on you and let you enter my tutelage. Naturally, before making your choice, you can ask around to see whether joining my faction would be a loss for you. I won't mind if you decide to pass up this opportunity!" With that, Bai Feng folded the copy of the *Kaiyuan Art* he had written earlier and tossed it to Su Yu. "Take this back and study it slowly. Though it's not as potent as when I was writing it live, examining it will help strengthen your willpower, or perhaps give you a chance to capture a few more divine characters. "I will only teach you this much for now—biting off more than you can chew will only ruin you! Your foundation is still weak, and your willpower is low. Everything must wait until your willpower grows stronger." At this moment, Su Yu was entirely at a loss for words. He... seemed to have been unofficially admitted in advance, and Bai Feng had even taken him on as a student ahead of time. What was this? Good luck? Or... was Bai Feng merely humoring him out of respect for Teacher Liu? Glancing at what he held—a drop of yuanqi liquid, a Qianjun Realm myriad-race original bone fragment, and a willpower text penned by a sixth-stage Tengkong Civilization Master—had he struck it rich? Had a meat pie just fallen from the sky? Su Yu felt entirely dazed, not even realizing that the greatest gain of the day was none of these things, but rather that he had captured a divine character and completely outlined it. Weak though it currently was, the foundation of a divine character had been established. "Head back and rest well. Today took a heavy toll on your willpower." Bai Feng's voice drifted over faintly. "I'll be waiting for you at the Civilization Academy. Of course, truly earning my approval won't be that simple! Before enrollment, reach twenty percent willpower accumulation and become capable of observing the Qianjun bone fragment. Only then will you barely qualify to be my student rather than an errand boy! "When I return this time, I believe I have hope of breaking through to the seventh stage of the Tengkong Realm. Within three years, I'll strive to break through to the Lingyun Realm. If you remain as mediocre as you are today by then, perhaps... you won't even have the right to tell others that I am your teacher." Bai Feng spoke dispassionately, hands clasped behind his back, looking supremely towering and aloof! *You are far too mediocre!* *Today, I give you a chance, but whether you can seize it depends entirely on you.* Su Yu remained silent, quietly clenching his fists. *Am I very mediocre?* *Perhaps so!* A Civilization Master on the verge of the seventh stage of the Tengkong Realm, someone who might step into the Lingyun Realm very soon and was not even thirty years old—before such a person, Su Yu had no ground to refute his words. "I will work hard!" Su Yu whispered in a voice barely audible, then turned and walked away. Bai Feng maintained his lofty, master-like posture until Su Yu was completely gone. Then, he suddenly let out a long breath and grinned from ear to ear. "Holy crap, holy crap! He outlined a complete divine character! What on earth is up with this kid? This is ridiculous!" Finding it almost impossible to believe, his shock quickly melted into a wide smile. This trip to Nanyuan had truly yielded a massive profit. "Kid, keep a low profile, keep a low profile! Don't you dare stir up trouble before you even enter the academy, and don't make waves after you get in either. Keep your head down until you reach the Tengkong Realm!" Bai Feng muttered to himself for a while before something suddenly crossed his mind. He murmured, "No, I have to head back to the academy and file the registration. I've claimed this kid in advance out of respect for my martial uncle. If anyone dares try to take him as a student, I'll fight them to the bitter end! "Wait, that won't work either. Teacher knows my personality. If I claim I took a student just to give Martial Uncle face, wouldn't he get suspicious? "What if he steals my student?" "No, this is too difficult!" "What should I do? It's so urgent... Got it! I'll trick Teacher into leaving before I file the paperwork. Yes, that's it! Didn't a new race appear on the All-Heavens Battlefield? Teacher will definitely be interested. Teacher, please leave, and don't come back until after the new term starts!" Bai Feng rambled to himself, wishing he could fly back to the academy this very instant. *** Great Xia Civilization Academy. A refined, middle-aged gentleman was reading a book in a garden when his brows suddenly knitted slightly. "Is Senior Brother Liu cursing me again?" "Sigh, curse all you like. Have it your way." The refined gentleman chuckled, shook his head gently, and returned to his reading.